After a series of dramatic developments, former Israeli military chief and Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot has been tasked with forming Israel’s next government. President Isaac Herzog assigned him the responsibility, bypassing incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Eisenkot is an Israeli politician of Mizrahi descent and the son of immigrants. For years, a large section of Mizrahi voters has traditionally supported Netanyahu’s Likud Party. The 66-year-old Eisenkot is the son of immigrants who moved to Israel from Morocco. He rose to become Israel’s top military officer, despite growing up outside the country’s political centres of power, in Tiberias and Eilat.
Eisenkot rarely discusses his ethnic background. However, analysts believe it has played a role in his popularity. Israel has never had a Mizrahi prime minister. If Eisenkot succeeds in forming a government, he would become the first.
Who is Gadi Eisenkot? Eisenkot is the second of nine siblings and the father of five children. He entered politics after spending most of his life in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
He joined the Golani Brigade in 1978. Over a 40-year military career, he steadily rose through the ranks, serving as chief of staff of the Israeli military from 2015 to 2019. During that period, he served under Netanyahu.
One of the most controversial incidents in Israel’s military history took place during his tenure. In 2016, Sergeant Elor Azaria shot and killed a wounded Palestinian attacker in Hebron. Despite pressure from Netanyahu and other right-wing politicians, Eisenkot supported a military investigation and trial. He said his position was necessary to protect discipline and ethics within the army.
In 2022, Eisenkot entered politics alongside another former military chief, Benny Gantz. Following the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, both joined Netanyahu’s emergency wartime cabinet. However, citing the lack of a clear post-war plan, they left the cabinet in June 2024.
By then, the war had taken a heavy toll on Eisenkot’s family. In December 2023, during the second month of the war, his 25-year-old younger son, Gal, was killed while fighting in Gaza. Two of his nephews also lost their lives in the war.
In an article published in the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth last April, Eisenkot wrote: “Standing beside Gal’s grave, I vowed that I would not allow the sacrifice made by him and his friends—those he knew and those he did not know—to be in vain.”
He described that commitment as central to his political goals.
How different is Eisenkot from Netanyahu? Known as a military strategist, Eisenkot differs from Netanyahu in character, conduct and temperament. His party is called Yashar, a Hebrew word meaning “straight” or “right”. The name was inspired by a statement made by Eli Sharabi, a former hostage abducted during the October 7 attack. Sharabi said: “It is neither right-wing nor left-wing; it is the straight path.”
On security issues, Eisenkot supports a hardline approach, sharing many positions with Netanyahu. Like most of Netanyahu’s rivals, he has broadly supported Israeli military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Within the Israeli military, Eisenkot has been associated with the “Dahiya Doctrine”. The doctrine calls for the use of overwhelming force against civilian infrastructure to deter future attacks by armed groups.
He has also been associated with the “Campaign Between Wars” strategy. This approach involves conducting covert and limited military operations to weaken an adversary’s capabilities without triggering a full-scale war.
Eisenkot shares Netanyahu’s main objectives regarding Iran. Both support preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons and weakening the network of armed groups allied with Iran.
However, Eisenkot has criticised what he sees as the lack of a clear strategy in recent conflicts. In his view, military achievements must be accompanied by diplomatic initiatives.
He has strongly criticised Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza war. Eisenkot has accused the prime minister of prolonging the conflict for political reasons and putting the lives of Israeli hostages at risk. These allegations ultimately influenced his decision to leave the wartime cabinet.
What could his policy toward the Palestinians look like? On Gaza, Eisenkot has pledged to end Hamas rule within 18 months. To achieve that, he has proposed implementing US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan or conducting what he calls “creative” military operations.
In practice, Netanyahu’s declared objectives are broadly similar. However, Eisenkot argues: “As long as Netanyahu remains in power, Hamas will remain in power.”
Before entering politics, Eisenkot warned that continued Israeli control over Palestinians in the occupied West Bank could lead to a binational state. He described such an outcome as “the end of the Zionist dream”.
Since October 7, however, he has opposed a two-state solution. In a recent interview, he said those who continue to advocate a two-state solution are “living in an illusion”. He has not, however, presented an alternative plan.
Eisenkot formally opposes annexing the West Bank to Israel and the establishment of illegal settlements. He has described the Israeli government's plan to build settlements in the disputed E1 area of the West Bank as “wrong”, arguing that it would carry an international cost for Israel.
He has also pledged to crack down on settler violence and take firm action against what he explicitly calls “Jewish terrorism”. He has accused the Israeli government of tying the hands of security forces.
What will Eisenkot's relationship with Trump look like? Trump has made his preference clear. In early October, he expressed “complete and unconditional support” for Netanyahu, describing him as “a great warrior prime minister”. He warned that replacing Netanyahu with someone else would be a “mistake”, suggesting that the United States might otherwise have to confront Iran alone.
According to Israeli sources, Eisenkot and other opposition leaders had urged the White House to stay out of the election contest through intermediaries, including Republican megadonor Miriam Adelson. Their appeal, however, was unsuccessful.
Netanyahu and Trump have maintained a long-standing relationship. It has been shaped by major developments, including the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem in 2017, Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, the Abraham Accords in 2020 and attacks on Iran in 2025-2026.
When political analyst Barak Ravid asked Trump whether he could work with another prime minister, Trump replied: “Maybe I could, maybe I couldn’t. Who wants to take that risk?”
Over the past year, however, Netanyahu has taken several steps that have angered Trump and other members of his administration. These include Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Gaza that have complicated Trump's efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.
A government led by Eisenkot without Netanyahu’s far-right allies Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich could be comparatively more centrist. Such a government could give Trump greater scope to advance regional diplomacy, including efforts to normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia—a longstanding priority for Washington.
